Activity #3 is an optional activity to set up your own del.icio.us account. I figured I could better understand how this tool works and how it can be implemented elsewhere if I actually tried it for myself.
So, Monday I started adding my bookmarks (I didn't realize until I was done that I could import them...sigh). While adding, I started tagging like a mad woman. Tags are social subject headings you give to a link in del.icio.us. I figured more tags would be better. Well, for me, that was wrong. I quickly got overwhelmed by the amount of tags listed on the right. There were so many search terms that my eyes started skipping lines.
Tuesday I edited my tags so that I only used the bare minimum. I also made sure I didn't use multiple variations on the same idea or word. Ex. book and books, research and reference, library and libraries, etc. This made things much more manageable.
At this point I start seeing the benefits of having a del.icio.us account.
- I can access my bookmarks from any computer. If I am helping a student, I can access reference bookmarks I use at the public computers. If a teacher asks me something as I pass their office, I can show them on their computer. Whether I'm at home or work, all my bookmarks are available.
- I can share my links with others. People can peruse my links and see if any are useful for them as well. I can also send them to other people's del.icio.us accounts. Talk about networking!
- I can subscribe to other people's del.icio.us accounts. This could really help us help each other. I can access others bookmarks. I can also be notified when new ones are added.
- I was able to "bundle" my tags into smaller categories. You can even put a tag in multiple categories if need be. Now I only have 4 categories in my account with lovely tags under each for easy use.
- No longer will I add a bookmark and forget it. If I tag it, it will stay in a subject heading, and I can find it when I actually go looking for something in that vein. Talk about better work flow.
- I can still add links I don't want others to see. I can mark certain links "private." That way I can store them in my del.icio.us bookmarks without having to share them with the world. Who wants a link to the webcam at my husband's work anyway? I really can keep ALL my bookmarks in one place.
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7 comments:
How do you set a link for private?
You go to "settings" (upper right corner), go to "private saving" (2 column), and toggle "allow private saving" and save.
Go back to the ones you want to hide and click "edit." There should now be a toggle box for "do not share."
New stuff should also have that box to toggle when you add them.
I also thought this could be very useful for a group to share gems as we find them!
P.S how did you import your existing bookmarks from elsewhere?
once again, great job diving right into the topic of the week and exploring it fully! you have some great delicious tips here :)
To import bookmarks, you go to settings and choose in the second column import/upload. Once you click this, scroll down and follow the instructions.
OMG! I didn't know that I could import my existing bookmarks. Or... maybe I did, but figured I didn't need *all* of my old ones. It's probably going to be easier to just cull out the ones I don't want anymore than to re-upload all of them by hand...
I agree. It seems to make sense to weed out the bad instead of finding the good. Good luck! Connect me to your bookmarks when your done. I'd love to have you added to my network!
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